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Pocahontas

EMAILPRINTBuena Vista Pictures

Pocahontas reviews
58
8.1 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 23 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 6 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Animation  |  Family/Kids  |  Musical  |  Romance

Written by: Carl Binder
Susannah Grant
Philip LaZebnik

Directed by: Mike Gabriel
Eric Goldberg

Release Date:
Theatrical: June 23, 1995
DVD: May 3, 2005

Running Time: 81 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: G for General Audiences

Starring Irene Bedard, Mel Gibson, Christian Bale, David Ogden Stiers, John Kassir, Russell Means, Linda Hunt, and Billy Connolly

Pocahontas tells the story of a free-spirited girl who wonders what adventures await "Just Around The Riverbend." Pocahontas relies on the guidance of her loving and wise Grandmother Willow when English settlers arrive on the shores of their village. Her chance meeting with the courageous Captain John Smith leads to a beautiful friendship that bridges the gap between two cultures, and changes history. (Disney)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Stack

Disney's 33rd animated feature, and its first with characters based on real people, is a stunning movie with clever twists, vivid characterizations, insightful songs and a surprising harvest of revisionist history that manages to ring smartly as pure entertainment.

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90

Time Richard Corliss

Because she also has a classical heroine's sense of quest, the picture's Pocahontas rises above stodgy old legend into the sky of myth... That's apt for a role model for any child, red or white. And it's perfect for a film romance that earns a place of honor among Disney's latter-day animated film stunners.

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90

Variety Jeremy Gerard

The Disney artists have created a vivid palette for the picture.

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88

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Taking advantage of the studio's breathtakingly intricate animation, directors Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg have breathed vitality into this, the fifth "new wave" Disney animated picture.

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80

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

Gloriously colorful, cleverly conceived and set in motion with the usual Disney vigor, Pocahontas is one more landmark feat of animation.

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78

Austin Chronicle Hollis Chacona

Pocahontas' arrow, tipped with tender romance and feathered with spirited folklore, hits the bulls-eye dead on.

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75

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The film looks great, the songs are wonderfully visualized, and the characters are appealing.

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75

San Francisco Examiner Barbara Shulgasser

With an original score by Alan Menken and Gilbert and Sullivan-ish songs by Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, the movie is the cartoon equivalent of a full-scale, high-quality Broadway musical.

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75

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

The film is attractively designed and energetically edited, in the usual Disney fashion, and it's interesting to see the Disney folks convey such a hearty endorsement of interracial dating.

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75

TV Guide Staff(not credited)

Overall, Pocahontas is a triumph as a visual experience (though the music is unusually bland), but a disappointment as a film.

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70

Dallas Observer Matt Zoller Seitz

Pocahontas is a fascinating departure from the studio's formula--a delicate work of art that casts a very fragile spell.

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70

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Contradictions confound certain aspects of this project--such as the language spoken by Pocahontas (which, in the Hollywood tradition, oscillates between tribal talk and the unaccented chatter of a contemporary Valley girl)--but overall this seems like a reasonable stab at an impossible agenda.

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70

Newsweek Laura Shapiro

Just about everything in this lavish, animated feature is for the pigtail set, especially a big romance between Pocahontas (Irene Bedard) and the strapping John Smith (Mel Gibson).

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70

Film Threat Rory L. Aronsky

The animation in Pocahontas is a testament to the constantly evolving skills of the various animators involved, drawing characters that manage to make an impact, even if only a small one.

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60

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Directed by Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg, Pocahontas is on the formulaic side, a copy that duplicates what its predecessors have done, only a little less adroitly and with a little less style. [16Jun1995 Pg. F.01]

50

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

As a fairy-tale confection, a kind of West Side Story in Jamestown, Pocahontas is pleasant to look at, and it will probably satisfy very small kiddies, but it's the first of the new-era Disney cartoons that feels less than animated.

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50

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Disney deserves praise for raising the ante on its ambitions in animation. Next time, though, a little less civics lesson and a little more heart.

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50

USA Today Mike Clark

Despite haunting moments in this fabricated fling between a headstrong Native American and an English sea captain, the film isn't as chirpy or majestic as recent Disney fare. [16Jun1995 Pg. 01.D]

40

The New Yorker Bruce Diones

Disney may have seen lightning strike for the fifth consecutive time with this animated smash, but it's the weakest of the bunch: a bland, predictably p.c. story so taken up with teaching lessons about tolerance and the environment that it leaves hardly any room for laughter.

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40

Empire David Hepworth

It's a war story with all the action removed and moral conflict inserted in its stead. That you're no longer allowed to boo is bad enough, but asking anyone to root for this bunch of drips is adding insult to injury.

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38

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Unwilling to offend, the scribes have committed the greatest offence of all - they've neglected to tell a story, airbrushing out anything remotely dramatic.

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30

Washington Post Rita Kempley

There's a sense of mystery in this purply palette and one of majesty in the landscapes, but the drama of the drawings is never really echoed by the skimpy and predictable story.

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20

Washington Post Desson Thomson

The scenario (written by Carl Binder, Susannah Grant and Philip Lazebnik) is disappointingly wan and obsequious.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Imad Q gave it a10:
I have to contradict with all the reviewers who gave it a low score. Reviews should be based on what the film "is" rather than what it "should have" been. The fact of the matter is, it is a departure for Disney from the traditional animated movies they've done in the early 90's, and is targeted more towards an adult audience. Its a serious movie, about romance, and actual historical events. See it as one, and you'll see that its no less a masterpiece than Disney's previous offerings; The story is touching, the art/animation is outstanding, the characters are 'alive' (forever remembered) .. and do I have to say anything about its music? 2 Oscars weren't presented for no reason. Its truly a gem, and is worth a place in your all-time Disney's 'favorites' collection.

Shaun H. gave it a10:
Wow. This movie is spectacular. The animation is just simply beautiful; the use of color is extraordinary. I have to comment on the amazing score and music- which won two Oscars.

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